STORE ATMOSPHERICS

Store Atmospherics

Kotler (1973) defines store atmospherics as:

‘……the conscious designing of space to create certain effects in buyers. More specifically atmospherics is the effort to design buying environments to produce specific emotional effects in the buyer that enhance his purchase probability’

Role of Store Design in Retail Environment

Store design is an extension of integrated retail communications

It is a powerful communication weapon

Provides dual role of attracting customers, and inducing customer’s purchase decision.

Nature of Store Design Design for visual appearance (see it) Design for a feel of environment (smell it) Design for self-concept, store perception

and reputation (status, and esteem) Design for merchandise touch (physical

appearance) Design for image and reputation of a store. Design for controversy (making people talk

about it)

Objectives of Designing Store Environment

To provide a pleasant shopping environment

To provide a conducive environment for making shopping decisions and choice

To create an attractive atmosphere for shoppers

To create alternative choice dimensions for consumers with shopping experience

To provide consumers with varied judgement of value.

Store Design Motives

To keep up with market competition To introduce store concept to

consumers To upgrade the store relative to

competitors To improve customer satisfaction rate To comply with environmental

regulations.

Main dimensions atmosphere Layout Visual (sight)

colour Brightness (Lighting) Size Flooring

Aural (sound) Volume Rhythm Crowding

Olfactory (smell) Scent

Tactile (touch) Softness temperature

Layout

is the physical organization of a store that creates specific traffic patterns, assists retailers in the presentation of merchandise, and helps create a particular atmosphere.

Layout

Layout

Grid Layout Diagonal Layout Mouse Trap Layout Mixed Floor Plan

IKEA Layout

Effects of colours in a retail store

Colour Psychological effect Temperature effect Distance effect

Violet

Blue

Brown

Green

Yellow

Orange

Red

Aggressive & tiring

Restful

Exciting

Very restful

Exciting

Exciting

Very stimulating

Cold

Cold

Neutral

Cold-neutral

Very warm

Very warm

Warm

Very close

Further away

Claustrophobic

Further away

Close

Very close

Close

Source: Hayne (1981)

Colors

Colors that match

Brightness-Lighting

Flooring

Flooring

Flooring

Shelving

Shelving

Shelving

Sounds In a supermarket store study sales increased

daily by 38% when slower music was played. A restaurant study found when slow music was

played, liquor sales increased. Playing peppy music while on hold or waiting in

line doesn’t make time pass more quickly. Louder music increases “pace of events”

perception but raises estimates of time durations.

Crowding

Density - how closely packed people are (i.e., the physical arrangements of people in a space).

Crowding - the unpleasant feelings that people experience when they perceive that densities are too high and that their control of the situation has been reduced to unacceptable levels.

Smells

Touch